In my book, I strongly advocate for using something called a VPN (or a virtual private network). Using a VPN is sometimes necessary to gain access to certain US websites (Netflix, for example) when travelling outside of the US. However, and this is key: it's also required to help you maintain your online privacy.

In all honesty: your online privacy has been under attack for a long while now, something that folks like me in the tech sector already know. However, there's a simple, 100% legal and very affordable solution you can take -- right now -- to take back some of your privacy and stop making all of your public data so damn public: use a reputable VPN service. They cost about $5-7/month.

It works like this: using a VPN service allow you to connect to the internet through their servers, masking your IP address (think of that as a computer identification number) and the websites that you visit. It's like surfing the internet with a Harry Potter cloak over you.

Some of you might believe that because you're not doing anything illegal online, that you have nothing to hide and, therefore, don't need a VPN. I understand that: I just think it's not the best way to think about this issue. Consider: if you don't travel anywhere illegal as you go about a normal day, you'd still be very uncomfortable if you knew that you were being followed wherever you went around the city. Twenty four hours a day. Day after day.

“Arguing that you don’t care about the right to privacy because you have nothing to hide is no different than saying you don’t care about free speech because you have nothing to say.” — Edward Snowden

I therefore recommend a VPN service that cares about your privacy and can demonstrate that to you as a potential customer. But how do you, as a consumer, learn how to choose a reputable VPN service? Here are a few guidelines that I'd propose, based on the research I did for my book and for the series on security I wrote last year for MacTech magazine. Choose a VPN provider that:

One important note for the sake of transparency: I'm an affiliate for each of these amazing companies. That means if you purchase a plan, I receive a small percentage of that sale as a "thank you tip" for recommending them. It's not nearly enough to live on and isn't why I support these companies in the first place. They're just the best, but I wanted you to know so everything we discuss is above board!

Hey, Gang...

Over time, I'll be posting various time-saving and money-saving tips here on the blog. Stop by every now and again to learn about what's new in the world of tech and what's something in the book that can help make a difference in your life.

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